slayers crossover
by unlimite-angel
Summary: After over a year apart, Lina and Naga suddenly run into each other. It seems like old times, until Lina buys a strange book called "Shijitenchiso" (The Universe of the Four Gods) from an even stranger (antiques) shop.
1. a reunion of old rivals

Unexpected!  
  
A Reunion of Old Rivals!  
  
Episode 1  
  
It was raining, and raining hard - the sort of rain that made any traveling insane because it made a muddy mess out of roads, drenched any wanderer in ten seconds flat and caused general misery. Obviously, no one had clued in the two travelers walking down the forest path. The tall blonde man and shorter, red-haired woman were walking quickly despite the muddy dirt. The casual observer would have looked in surprise and thought them quite crazy. If he had paused to look longer, he would have noticed a very strange thing. Neither of the two were in any way wet. Sure, their boots were muddy, but their clothing and hair were dry. The second thing he would have noticed was that the rain wasn't actually falling on them. An invisible sphere, defined only by the raindrops sliding off of it, protected them from the rain. He probably wouldn't have noticed a third thing. The smart observer would know immediately that at least one of the two people knew magic and that it wasn't wise to mess with a sorcerer. "Lina, how much longer do we have to walk?" whined the tall blonde man. "We've been walking since the sun rose and in this mud and rain!" "Shut up, Gourry!" fumed the woman, clenching a fist. "You're lucky I'm casting a Raywing spell to keep the rain off of us!" "But I'm sooooo tired. Why couldn't we have stayed in that village until the rain stopped?" "Gourry, they chased us out of town." "But that wasn't MY fault... What did you do, anyways?" Lina rubbed her temples wearily. "THEY hired me to destroy the troll that was wrecking havoc on their village. Anyone and everyone knows how hard it is to kill a troll!" Gourry nodded, "Yeah, 'cuz they keep healing themselves." "Anyways," continued Lina, "They're LUCKY! I had to cast a lot of magic to overwhelm the troll's natural healing magic and destroy it!" Destroying it had also destroyed a rather large block of the village, including the mayor's house. That part had been mere bad luck but, by Lina's standards, the village had come off very well indeed. She had been severely tempted to use the Dragon Slave, which also had the side effect of obliterating entire villages. However, rapid combinations of flare arrows and mono bolts had done the job... It had done the job too well. The mayor and the villagers were anything but happy at the smoldering remains of their shops and homes. Still, they seemed quite glad to chase Lina and Gourry out of the town. And they looked positively delighted to chase them off when it was pouring rain. "True," murmured Gourry. "Normally you just blow up the entire village with that overkill dragon spell of yours." A few fumes of smoke puffed out of Lina's head but she managed not to say anything too scathing. Instead, she gave Gourry one of those 'if-you- weren't-my-partner-and-had-the-brains-of-a-jellyfish-I'd-kill-you' looks and quickened her pace. "Oi, matte!" Gourry hurried to catch up. He wasn't quite fast enough; the edge of the Raywing spell passed through him and gave him a good drenching before he managed to match Lina's pace. His hair was now a wet mass that stuck to his head and his armor, and he spent a frustrated moment pulling it out of his eyes. "Anyway, here's the situation." Lina paused a moment and reached into her manto, pulling out a rolled piece of paper. Opening it revealed a worn map. "According to this, there's going to be a fork in the road not too far ahead." "Oi, Lina, why would anyone put a fork on the road? Wouldn't it hurt if you stepped on it? And it'd get dirty after being there all daaaaaa-" Lina shifted her Raywing spell, allowing Gourry to enjoy the whims of the inclement weather. "A fork in the road, Gourry. You know, when the road splits in two? Sheesh. Anyways, if we take the right path that should lead us to the village of ..." She squinted her eyes in order to read the fine print, "...Rand McNally. Hopefully we can stay there for a while, at least until the weather clears." For some reason unexplained, the city of Rand McNally can be found in just about any place. No one knows why, but that particular city, or at least that particular name, is on 99.99998752% of all maps made. Gourry blinked a few times and looked around. "Ne, Gourry, aren't you paying att-" She stopped as Gourry motioned for silence. In the thundering rain, you don't get something like a moment of silence. Still, the two could clearly hear someone talking rather loudly in the distance. Lina and Gourry looked at each other as if to say, 'What the hell's going on?' Cautiously, the two moved closer to the sound. "You can't fight all of us! You're outnumbered, ten to one!" yelled the voice. "Jest give us all yer money and we'll go easy on ya!" yelled someone else. "Bandits," whispered Gourry. "Are they really that dumb to rob someone in the rain?" Lina shrugged. "Well?!" demanded the first bandit, or maybe it was a third bandit, since they sounded quite similar. "Say something!" The next sound made Lina and her blood freeze. "Ohohohohohoooo!" The peal of laughter was easily louder than the bandits and the rain (and thunder) combined. "You, rob me? I am greatly amused! Ohohoho!" The bandits were more expedient than others Lina and Gourry had met, or maybe they also wanted to get out of the rain. Whatever the reason, they stopped their idle boasting and yelled, "CHAAAAARGE!" Gourry sprang into action, drawing his sword in a fluid motion. He started forward, when... "DILL BRAND!" An explosion rocked the ground and mud splattered around. Gourry paused a moment. Not noticing Lina's absence, he continued forward. At the fork in the road (which was a split in the path and not silverware), bandits were strewn about, most of them with smoking clothes. The dirt was thrown every which way outwards from a perfect circle. Inside that perfect circle of undisturbed forest path stood a mysteriously cloaked figure. "Ano..." said Gourry. The figure turned and looked at him. "Ohoho! Are you challenging me too, little man?" Since he was obviously taller, although not by too much, Gourry demanded, "What do you mean, 'little man?'" "Very well. If you must be that way..." The mysterious person's voice was laden with amusement as a finger rose to point at the blonde. "Demona Crystal!" Gourry stood there dumbly. It was a very Gourry-like thing to do, but it certainly wasn't going to save his hide any... "Raywing!" Lina's spell lifted Gourry out of the spell's path and the crystal shattered in the trunk of a nearby pine. All seemed well, until Gourry looked down. "AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! I'M FALLING! HEEEELLLPPP! LINA! DO SOMETHING!!!!!" The figure paused. "Did...did you say... Lina?" "LIIIIINAAAAAAA!!!!!" Although Gourry did not hear the question, his yell was more than an affirmative. "THIS ISN'T FUNNY, LINA!!!!!!! PUT ME DOWN NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE?!?!?!?!!?" With extreme reluctance, Lina walked into view and suppressed the urge to drop Gourry on his rear end. The only thing worse than a yelling Gourry was a yelling Gourry who was in pain, so she set him down with a rattle that jarred his teeth but did no further damage. "Itai! Lina, that hurt!" protested Gourry weakly, pulling his wet hair out of his eyes. "So it's really you... Lina Inverse." The fiery sorceress smiled. "It has been a while, hasn't it ...Naga?" Gourry blinked a few times and looked at the two. "You know each other?" "Sadly, yes," replied Lina. Naga pouted. "Lina, you're so mean, just like always!" "What, you wanted me to change my ways?" Rubbing his head, Gourry asked, "So...who are you?" "I'm known far and wide as Naga, the White Serpent, highly skilled in all ways of black magic. I'm also Lina Inverse's greatest ally and rival, and we have traveled together in the past and have done many daring feats and-"  
  
"She was the goldfish feces. My sidekick." "LINA!!" Smirking, the shorter sorceress said snidely (and alliteratively), "That's the truth." "Ohoho! Naga the White Serpent is no one's sidekick!" "What about the time we fought Joylock?" "Oh? Naga the White Serpent was very daring in defeating that demon, while you were too busy trying to charm Raudy into giving you his Sword of Light." "Hah! You were out helping some band of misfits who thought they could punish me because I beat them up after they tried to rob ME!" "Raudy?" wondered Gourry to himself. "Wasn't he my great-great-great..." A minute passed with Gourry counting his 'greats.' He concluded, "...Um, something like that grandfather?" The two sorceresses paid the swordsman no attention. "Yeah? What about when-" A flash of lightning blinded all three. The roar of thunder that sounded a few seconds later all but deafened them, and sheets of rain started pouring down. Naga and Gourry were in poor shape. Lina had continued to keep her original Raywing spell cast, so she stared dumbfounded at her two sodden companions. "Ano," she said without bothering to extend the spell to cover Gourry or Naga. "Maybe we should find our way to that village."  
  
Squish, squeak, squish, squish, squeak. Three pairs of feet squelched unpleasantly through the mud. Two pairs of waterlogged shoes squeaked in protestation. Lina hummed a little tune to herself. Of the three she was easily the best off, being the driest. Gourry muttered complaints to himself but he, too, was starting to dry out under the protection of Lina's spell. Naga grumbled black thoughts under her breath. She had declined Lina's help and had troubles setting up her own spell to keep the rain off of her. She was also disgruntled at being called the 'goldfish feces' again, even if she had met up with her old companion, Lina. "Look!" Lina pointed. "The village gates!" Gourry and Naga cheered as they passed through the wooden doors. A quick glance around showed they were the only ones stupid enough to be outdoors in a downpour. Impatiently, Lina snapped, "Come on, come on! The sooner we find an inn, the sooner we can all get some rest and dry off! See, there's a likely spot on the corner." She sped off, leaving the other two to shuffle after.  
  
Lina sat down on the soft bed, bouncing several times. Sighing happily, she took off her headband and lay back against the plush pillow. It was the end of a long day and she was dead tired. It was certainly a full day, she reflected as she drew the thick covers over her. The incident with the villagers had certainly set the day's mood (which was bleak,) the rain continued it (which was bleaker), and then Naga arrived. Lina couldn't decide if that made the day the bleakest she'd had in months or if it made it somewhat less bleak than before. It was hard to tell with Naga. There was that most annoying laugh that Naga seemed to have perfected, but it was nice to see her after such a long absence. How long had it been? Lina tapped her chin thoughtfully. She had been with Gourry for several months. Counting the jobs they had done on her fingers, she nodded to herself. It was four months with Gourry, and... More counting. Yes, it had been more than two years since the two sorceresses had parted ways. Wasn't it odd that they should have met after so long? Maybe it wasn't. But something was nagging Lina in the back of her mind. Before the nagging thought could form anything more coherent, there was a knocking on the door. Lina sat up in surprise. It didn't come from the door leading to the hallway, but from the door connecting the inn rooms. In other words, it had to be- "Ohohohoho!" came Naga's patented laughter. "I know you're not sleeping in there, Lina Inverse!" The day definitely seemed bleaker, Lina thought darkly to herself. Even if she had been asleep, that infamous laughter would have woken her up. "Come in," she said grudgingly. The door swung open to admit Naga. Lina gaped when she saw what Naga was wearing. "Nani?" asked Naga as she shut the door behind her. "Naga! You're actually wearing something...decent! What gives? You're not the Naga I remember!" "Ne?" Naga looked confused and glanced down at her stark black and skimpy nightgown. Well, it was skimpy by regular standards, but positively concealing when seen on someone like Naga, who wore much less for armor on a regular basis. "Oh, this? All my regular stuff was sopping wet, and all I had was this silly thing." Lina let out a sigh. "Oh." Naga smiled. "But you haven't changed a bit! Ohohoho! Still flat-chested as ever! I'm amazed you got a boyfriend!" "Gourry is NOT my boyfriend!" Lina's voice rose several decibels in strength. "I'm just hanging around with him so I can convince him to give me his Sword of Light!" "Ohohoho! You cannot fool Naga the White Serpent that way." She sat down on the chair by the window and peeked out the curtain. Streaks of water obscured any view of outside. Lina could feel a headache coming on, and she knew her temper would grow shorter every time she heard Naga's particularly piercing laughter. "Sure, Naga. And what are you doing in here?" "I-" Her comment was drowned out by a loud boom of thunder. Several flashes of lightening brightened up the room for brief moments, followed by more thunder. "Very impressive," remarked Lina. Naga scowled. "I got the oddest feeling today, when we met. Like... it wasn't coincidence or luck or anything like that. Like..." "Like someone or something made it happen?" Naga smiled, "Ohohohohohoho!" (Lina gritted her teeth.) "You felt the same thing, then? It doesn't feel right, our meeting." Lina narrowed her eyes. "I get the feeling someone is watching us, and that someone made us meet for a very specific reason. And I don't like it one bit." "Ohoho! You are quick! I felt the exact same things!" "Naga," Lina said very quietly before she started screaming something she'd regret, like 'elmekia lance', "if that's it, could you please return to your room? I'd like to get some sleep now." Naga got up and left the room without another word. Unfortunately, she left laughing her inimitable laugh, which was a hundred times worse. The door slammed behind her, mercifully muffling the sorceress' guffaws to mere whispers. It wasn't a perfect situation, as no one had thought of inventing soundproof walls at this point in time, but it wasn't as bad as it was before. Lina was tired. The sandman was dumping grit onto her in ten-pound bags, weighing her down. Wearily, she pulled the covers over her head and closed her eyes. In the space of five minutes, she was soundly asleep.  
  
Outside, the lightning flared in occasional bouts, coupled with the deep rumbling of thunder. The rain continued pouring down like there was no tomorrow, and only the most stupid, crazy, or desperate were outside. There was an exception. A mysterious man in priestly robes was perched on the roof of the building across the street from the Dancing Fish Inn. His purple hair fluttered in the wind, but he was, of all things, smiling. A long staff with a ruby top lay in his lap, but he paid it no attention. The man's attentions where on the inn, and he appeared to be watching it. Appeared to, because his eyes never opened. The storm howled around him, but he didn't even notice. He wasn't the least bit uncomfortable, wet, or cold. He continued smiling and he started to chuckle as he saw Naga peeping out the window from Lina's room. "Well, well," he murmured to himself, settling back in a reclining position. "This should prove interesting and quite amusing, too!"  
  
Continue: episode 2: Curious! The Book From the Not-Quite Magic Shop! 


	2. the book from the not quite magic shop

Curious!  
  
The Book From the Not-Quite-Magic-Shop!  
  
Episode 2  
  
The morning was overcast and the sky was leaden with clouds, but the rain had slowed to a light drizzle. "What a dull day," sighed Lina as she waited for her companions at the bottom of the inn's stairs. "Ohohoho!" Naga's laughter bounced off the walls as she came down the steps. The day went from dull to bad. "Where's Gourry?" "Why would I know?" Lina sighed. "Good question. Forget I asked. Anyways, it seems like we'll be staying in town for a few days at least. I'm going to search the city for a magic shop... If you find Gourry and he asks, I'll be back in time for lunch." She left the inn quickly before Naga could reply. A light wind blew the drizzle right into her face the moment she left the shelter of the inn. "I hope I won't regret this little trip later," muttered the redheaded girl as she scoped out the streets. "But at least it'll give me some time away from Naga. It still feels weird, and I doubt I'm just being paranoid." Lina strolled down the avenues, ignoring the glances the few other locals threw in her direction. After aimless wandering for nigh on fifteen minutes, she came upon a small alleyway. A sign creaked overhead. It was old and worn, but Lina could just make out the five-pointed star that was the hallmark of all magic shops. Wiping the rainwater from her brow, she opened the door. A bell rang pleasantly overhead. The smiling clerk from behind the counter asked, "May I help you with anything?" "Naah," Lina said. "I'm just looking." The clerk nodded sagely and went back to polishing his ruby-tipped staff. Lina peered at the shelves curiously. She had no need for anything specific but shopping was a good way to release extra energy and frustration. There was the obligatory magic amulet aisle, although a lot of them looked fake and tawdry. There was a certain limit on the ratio of real amulets and fakes to weed out the pretenders, and this store had exceeded it. Shrugging, Lina continued to the next shelf which was full of various jewelry with little tags proclaiming that this necklace would 'protect you from the bite of a werewolf, but only on the second full moon of the month' and that ring was 'guaranteed to grant every wish for a one time set-up fee of only four easy payments of $19.95 and includes the set of Ginzu knives, the extra bottle of ultra-power-wash, and the super-slicer for free.' She did spot a genuine magic-amplifier, but the opal was clearly designed for white magic, something Lina was not particularly interested in. The next shelf proved just as odd (actually, it proved to be odder,) and Lina was starting to wonder at the reputation of the shop. What could she possibly do with a so-called 'lava lamp'? And what was an 'electrical socket' you were supposed to 'plug' the lamp into? Lina was really worried when she saw the next-to-last shelf. It was full of "used magic supplies" that were useless for any purposes. The magic had been taken from them, making the chalices, daggers, and odds-and-ends no more than trash. "Hey, mister?" she asked the seemingly sleepy clerk. "Just what kind of magic shop is this?" "Magic Shop?" he said. "Why, this isn't a magic shop at all! This is an antiques shop!" "Oh," muttered Lina. That explained everything. It was a little known fact to anyone but magic-users but there was a fine line between magic shops and antique shops. Magic Shops were stores full of crap and other useless junk that looked really impressive, but Magic Shops also included the Random Object of Complete Usefulness as well as decent spell books. Magic Shops also boasted an owner who knew something of magic, often a retired sorcerer. A good magic shop made sure to have a good stock of Random Objects of Complete Usefulness along with other magical items, and one shop even went as far as the claim it had nothing but Random Objects of Complete Usefulness. On the other hand, antique shops were stores full of crap and other useless junk that looked really impressive but didn't do anything at all. A really lucky sorcerer might find a Random Object of Complete Usefulness, but the odds were one in one hundred-thousand-million-trillion- plus-three. Lina was not counting on her luck. After all, her luck made her run into Naga. "I'm sorry, is there anything you need assistance with?" asked the clerk curiously. Lina rubbed her temples. "No, I'm just...looking." The sign outside really hadn't contained a five-pointed star. It was the letter "A", worn out so much she had mistaken it for one. The last shelf only confirmed that this was an antique shop. It was full of books, but every book seemed used. Some books seemed more abused than used. Some books looked like they would fall apart if every other book hadn't supported them. "This is not good," she sighed as she glanced at the titles. There were histories, the infamous long-winded history tome that no one wants to study but many do in order to look really, really smart. There were ballads, which were as long as the histories but worse because someone had actually tried to make the stories fit a rhyme and meter and added music that a bard could caterwaul while scaring off the neighbors. There were books on magic, but Lina doubted they were anything more than fairy tales. There were books on topics so obscure Lina didn't care. Actually, she didn't care about any of the books, but she cared even less for those books. It took her a moment to notice the book. It was housed between 'The Complete Chronicles of the Amazing Hero who Became The First Prince of Sailoon and His Fabulous Exploits' and '1,001 MORE uses for the Fishing Spell.' It was a plain book with white binding, the writing was bright and bold. "Four Gods Sky Earth Book," read Lina. "Never heard of that one before..." She pulled it out curiously. It looked entirely new, as if it had arrived from the printer's press earlier that morning. The pages were crisp and the cover was spotless. "Interesting," muttered Lina to herself. Curious, she went up to the clerk and set it on the counter. "I'll take this one." The clerk peered down at the book. Or at least he gave the impression of doing so, since his eyes never opened. "Ahh, the Shijintenchiso. That'll be 25 gold coins, please." "WHAT?!" "That'll be 25 gold coins, please." Lina shook her fist. "That's robbery! NO book is worth 25 gold coins!" He looked at her. "This one is." "Nonsense! You said this was an antique store, right? But this book looks new! It's not an antique! I'll give you 4 gold coins for it." "20. This book is very rare and very difficult to find." "7! It's not rare, it's not even well known! And I'm not paying a copper more." The two hagglers looked at each other. Finally, the clerk smiled, or rather, the clerk's smile became larger, as he agreed, "7 gold coins then."  
  
They shook hands and Lina plopped the money on the counter. "This better be worth my money," she grinned darkly, challenging the clerk. He chuckled. "I assure you, you'll find it vastly entertaining." "Oh? And why's that?" The clerk grinned as he tapped the side of his nose and replied enigmatically, "Sore wa himitsu desu."  
  
Lina left the shop huffily, feeling cheated. First she went into an antiques store then got that weird attitude from the clerk...! She checked the sign dangling over the door. Just as she thought, it was an "A" and not a star. The letters 'ntiques' had long been worn away. "So why'd you buy that book, Lina?" she asked herself, starting back towards the Dancing Fish Inn. "Some cheap dime novel, probably. And you paid seven gold coins for it! And what was that whole 'that is a secret' bit from the clerk?" "AHA! So there you are!" Naga's voice was laden with triumph, as if finding Lina was a difficult task. Actually, they were the only two people walking outside. The rain had continued to fall and kept the locals indoors. "Thought you could lose me?" Lina winced. "Hi, Naga," she said. Naga peered closely at Lina. "So, what did you buy? Hmm? Is that it in your hand? Ohohoho! It looks like some mysterious spell book, containing vast information about black magic!" "Ano, actually..." "Ohohohohohooo!" Naga's laughter echoed across the empty street. "Trying to hide it from me? We're partners, aren't we?" That stopped Lina in her tracks. "Are we?" "Of course!" proclaimed Naga, leaving no room for argument. "And that feeling we're being watched?" "Nerves," shrugged Naga. "It was rather a busy day yesterday, full of its shocks." Well, that's true, thought Lina. Still... The nagging thought resurfaced. Coincidence? Luck? Fate? A shadow skittered through the alleyway as Lina and Naga passed by. Or is it something else? She turned to get a closer look. Hey, isn't that the clerk? Is he following me? "Wait!" Lina shouted as she darted after it.  
  
She fell flat on her face as Naga snatched the end of her manto. "Ohoho! Trying to loose me again, Lina Inverse? We really must work on this partnership thing." Lina struggled upright, but the shadow was long gone. A few fume marks puffed from Lina's hair. "Come on, Lina-san, let's get back to the inn so I can see this book you're lauding about!" The taller woman swiveled around and tramped down the road, still holding Lina's cape. Lina glanced back for one last look. Nothing. Maybe it is just nerves... Lina shook her head. Maybe it isn't.  
  
They settled down around the desk in Lina's room. She set the book down and cast a small light spell to make it easier to read. "Universe of the Four Gods?" Naga wondered. "What kind of spells would those be?" Lina frowned. She was getting a bad feeling about the book. "No time like the present to find out!" Naga opened the cover before Lina could react. "Hm. 'This is the story of a girl, who, having gathered the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi, was given the power to summon Seiryuu and make any wishes come true.'" "Wishes?" Naga continued, "'The story itself is a spell. One who finishes the book shall be given the power as the heroine and her wishes will come true.'" She giggled happily, "Sugoi, Lina! This is a really nifty book! A spell to make your wishes come true?" Lina angrily snatched the book from Naga, warning, "Don't you know that some people curse you with 'may your every wish be granted?' It sounds dangerous." "Oh, please, Lina, don't be paranoid!" Paranoid? Lina didn't feel paranoid. You had to worry about something to be paranoid, and she hardly ever let anything worry her. She skimmed over the first page, re-reading what Naga had just said. Wait a minute... "Naga? There's no dragon in here. It says Suzaku no Shichi Seishi, not So-ryu- whatever." "Suzaku? I didn't see any Suzaku in there! What in the world is a Suzaku, anyway?" Before their argument could continue, a bright flash of light that was not lightning blinded them. "Nani?" gasped Lina as the light surrounded the two of them. The book dropped, open, onto the desk in the otherwise empty room.  
  
Outside, a purple-haired man was watching the window of the Dancing Fish Inn. He nodded sagely at the burst of light. "Perfect," he said. Then he smiled. 


	3. i'm inside the world of the book?

Help!  
  
I'm Inside the World of the Book?  
  
Episode 3  
  
It was bright and the sun was shining. Several birds chirped merrily, and several insects buzzed in the background. A bee buzzed in the foreground. Lina blinked groggily. She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, wondering how she could have slept in so late. Shouldn't Gourry have woken her up long ago so they could move on? She opened her eyes and looked around. She recognized nothing in the landscape. "Umph," groaned someone beside her. Lina turned, expecting Gourry to be there. Naga blinked confusedly back at her. "Ano... where are we?" Lina took a deep breath. "Something tells me this isn't Rand McNally." She stood up and walked in a tight circle, memorizing the locale. They were in a meadow of some sort, surrounded by trees and the fringes of a forest. In the east there was a small dirt road. It looked rather like a lot of places Lina knew. But she had just been in Rand McNally, and now she could not find signs of a village or any other people. "What happened? We opened that book and then..." Naga rubbed her head woozily. "Old magic. An incantation - Naga!" Lina gasped, "Remember what you read? 'The story itself is a spell.' That must have been the trigger which sent us to...where ever 'here' is!" Naga jerked upright. "You mean we're...inside the book?" That hadn't occurred to Lina; she thought they had just been transported somewhere. Unfortunately, Naga's guess made dreadful sense. "'One who finishes the book shall acquire power as the heroine...who gathered the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi...'" she quoted, then paused. "Does that make us the heroines?" "Ohohoho! I'm definitely the heroine!" Naga laughed, covering her shock. "But it's not Suzaku, it's Seiryuu, remember?" "Whatever. That means..." There was a long pause in which the only sounds were the birds cheerfully singing from the forest and bees buzzing in the meadow. The peace was too calm for Lina's nervous mind. Something had to happen. She bit her lip and drew a trickle of blood. It hurt. Lina winced slightly, then realized it wasn't a dream. It was real. Inside the book? Lina and Naga exchanged a look. "I don't like this at all," voiced Lina. "Hmph," agreed Naga.  
  
Wind rustled through the trees, sending several leaves spiraling lazily across the dusty path. It was an exceptionally beautiful summer day outside, with just the right amount of wispy white clouds, perfume of wildflowers, and wildlife bird-and-insect chorus. Lina and Naga didn't even notice. They trudged onwards, both unusually silent. At one point, Naga had begun laughing (for lack of anything else to do) but Lina had clobbered her. After that, they walked down the path quietly, each lost in her own thoughts. Trudge, trudge, thud. rustle Thud, trudge, thud? rustle rustle They stopped simultaneously. Even lost in their own thoughts, they had realized they weren't alone. "Who's there?" challenged Lina. A gang of ragtag men stepped out onto the road, not bothering to hide anymore. They didn't do anything, they just stood there blocking the path and muttering to themselves. "That tall one will fetch a great price." "The shorter one's kinda flat, but even a few ryou will help." "NANI?" roared Lina. "Who do you think you are, talking about me like that? Slave traders?" They nodded. "Oh," said Lina. Naga grinned. "It's been awhile, ne Lina-san?" Lina nodded. "Hope we haven't lost our flair." The slave traders pulled out their weapons and stood their ground menacingly, two of them scowling for good measure. Lina and Naga went into fighting crouches, preparing to cast spells at them. The battle was about to begin when... "YAMETE!" Everyone paused. A bird chirped. A bee buzzed. "Ano..." said Lina. "Now what?" A blue-haired young man was standing behind the gang, eyeing them critically. Unlike other hooligans Lina had met, the slave traders attacked the man without exchanging any words. They were efficient Lina had to admit as she and Naga watched noncommittally. The young man promptly set about beating them up. He's almost as good as Gourry, Lina thought. "Ne, Naga, are you seeing a red thing glowing on his forehead?" "Yup." "Oh, good. It's not just me, then." Lina scratched her head, wondering how the character 'oni' could possibly glow red on someone, unless he was using magic. The fight was over quickly. The blue-haired man smiled as the character faded from his forehead. "Daijobu?" "Hai," answered Lina. "But we were perfectly capable of defending ourselves..." "You know, money is a better way of showing your appreciation," he said, suddenly all smiles. He held out an open palm expectantly. "Naaani?" "Tisk tisk, money, o-ka-ne, coins! Money is everything." Naga snickered. "You already know that part, ne Lina-san?" A vein popped on Lina's head. "Oi, wait a second. You saved us of your own accord! And we didn't need the help! And now you want us to pay you?" He looked surprised, then annoyed. "You probably don't have any money anyway. Humph. I hate poor people. Ja ne." He shuffled off, muttering something to himself, and disappeared around a bend. "WHY, THE NERVE!! I OUGHT TO-" Lina fumed, starting after him. She didn't get very far. Another blinding flash of light enveloped her and Naga.  
  
Lina fell off the chair she was sitting in. "Itai!" She rubbed her sore hip and looked around. "The inn?" gasped Naga. "But... how?" They exchanged another look. Surrounding them was Lina's room at the Dancing Fish Inn. The book lay open on the desk. Bam! Bam! Someone was knocking rather forcefully on the door. Lina shut the book swiftly. "Lina? Lina! Are you in there, Lina?!" "G-Gourry!" She leapt up and pulled the door open. Gourry knocked on her head several times before realizing the door wasn't closed. "Oops, gomen Lina-san! But where have you been? It's already past lunch time!" "Eh?" "Yeah! I heard from the innkeeper about this new restaurant in town. He says it's a 'buffet' or something, and it's supposed to be all-you-can-eat- for-one-low-price." "WHERE?! Wherewherewherewhere?!" Lina grabbed Gourry's arms. "Let's GO!" They zoomed off, breaking several speed records and leaving a trail of dust and smoke behind them. "Ano," said Naga. "What about me?" The departed forms gave no answer. Annoyed, she was about to follow them when she noticed the book on the desk. "Hmm..."  
  
Lunch was pure heaven for Lina. After an extremely weird day, dealing with batty clerks and strange books, it was comforting to do something completely normal. It was easier to put her fears and worries aside when she had a plate of food in front of her. "Whoever came up with this 'buffet' idea is a genius!" proclaimed Lina over a third helping of chicken drumsticks. "No waiters; just grab your food and eat!" "Yeah," nodded Gourry around a mouthful of potato. "No waiting, too. Speaking of waiting, I was waiting for an hour earlier. Where did you go? Naga said you went to a magic shop and she was going to follow, but when I asked the innkeeper, he said there wasn't a magic shop in town. Then you're suddenly in your room with Naga, but I didn't leave the inn all day, and I didn't see you come in..." Lina paused. "Wait...what did you say?" "I didn't leave the inn all day." "Before that." "Um, there wasn't a magic shop in town?" "No, before that!" "Um, where did you go?" "No, no, no! Gourry, it was the first thing you said!" "Errr...I don't remember." A sweatdrop rolled down the back of Lina's head. "You said you waited for an hour?" "Oi, if you remembered, why didn't you just tell me?" he grumbled in annoyance. Lina didn't hear him. He said we were gone for an hour, but that's impossible! Naga and I were in that place for half the day! We were walking for at least three hours alone! How can that be? When I finish, I'm gonna go find that clerk and demand to know what's going on! Lina stood up, suddenly no longer hungry. It was a rare occurrence, but rarer things have been known to happen, if rarely. "I'll meet you back at the inn. I have some business to finish." She left, with Gourry staring at her diminishing form. "Does this mean I can finish off your plate?" Pause. "Hey, THANKS!"  
  
Down the street, left at the red corner shop, past the fountain, right at the junction. Lina wove her way through the streets and paused at the antiques shop. It wasn't there. Lina blinked. She looked at the town around her. The antiques shop was directly across from the gray, boarded-up storefront, next to a iron lamppost, near the fabric shop. She was just here earlier today! Where did the store go? She frowned and rubbed her chin thoughtfully. Earlier it had been raining; the drizzle had finally stopped. Maybe she had gotten a direction mixed up. Sighing, she set down the road. An hour later, she stared at the same street corner. She had scoured the entire town without finding any sign of the shop. It was like it had disappeared off the face of the map. This was screwy. Shops don't just fade away like that! Extremely frustrated, Lina turned around and headed back to the inn. Maybe, with Naga's help, they could search again and find it. There had to be some street she missed where the antiques shop was hiding! At the inn, Gourry was chatting with several of the locals. Lina nodded to him and headed up the stairs, only to be stopped when someone grabbed her arm. "Gourry?" "Lina, what's wrong? You look really worried about something." She blinked. "Oh, um, it's really nothing. Is Naga here? I need to talk to her." "Nope. Haven't seen her since we went to lunch." The sorceress sighed and made her way to the room. "Gourry, stop following me." "Gee, I'm sorry, Lina. But you don't look too good, so I was worried." Even more annoyed, she opened the door to her room and stopped at the threshold. The book was open on the desk. There was no sign of Naga. Lina remembered closing the book before Gourry had come in earlier. The only way it would be open would be if... "Oh, crap." Lina was at a loss for words. "Ne, what's that? You okay, Lina?" "No, I'm not. But I know where Naga is." Lina went over to her desk and looked at the book closely. "Huh? Where?" Lina turned the page. "Lina?" A blast of red light burst from the book and swallowed Lina. Gourry was stunned. "Lina?" He walked over and picked up the book. He looked at it, looked under it, and looked around the room. "Lina? Where'd you go?" The blonde turned his attention to the book again, the wheels in his mind slowly going to work. Of course! It must be a magic book and Lina must have cast some spell! But...why would she do that? Unless it had something to do with Naga? Gourry scratched his head in confusion. Now that both Lina and Naga were gone, he had nothing to do. There was a long pause in which Gourry pondered over the situation. Finally, he did as any smart person would do, despite the fact that his intelligence was below par. He sat down and started reading the book.  
  
Continue:episode: Disaster! What Happened to my Magic? 


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